The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-12-09
Miscel lanenus.
THE RUSSETS DID 1T.

A late April twilight, with the new mooI
just dipping its golden horn behind the
maple swamp in the West. We had Just CONF
in from foddering the cattle-"we" sound:
rather singuIary when you reflect that i
meant Kitty and me, two girls of seventeen
and nineteen but you see there wasn't any
| one else to do it. Father had been bedriddeI
ever since that last attack OF paralysis, ant
we could afford to hire no one to take his
place about the farm.
| was in great spirits playing with pussy
who came to meet us with her pumy tai
erect but Kitty leaned sadly against the
wooden mantel and looked into the fire will
m0urnful eyes.
kitty" cried l, at last, "what does make
you SO dullN
Tomorrow is the Goth of April" said she
gravely.
What of that?" l demanded.
"Don'tyou remember? The interest on
the mortgage comes due Tomorrow"
$50 it does" said |, my radiant face falling
faster than the thermometer on freez.
ing day. Thirty i've dolarsl And we've
nothing to pay it with, except the fifteen
dollars Laura Osgood paid tor the old melo.
deon"
perhaps Willis Avery would watt" sug.
gested Kitty.
drew myself up slightly.
II don't choose TO ask him TO wait" said
Now it happened that Willis Avery, who
held the mortgage on our homestead, wac the
son of a neighbor, and an old play-tellow and
bOy-beau of my own, who had gone to the
prosperous young city a few miles north of us,
and commenced business on his own &c count
and had particular aversion to asking
aid or help of him. | might be poor, but |
was always proud, and Kitty was quite SYM
pathetic enough 10 understand me.
But then what are We going do?" asked
Kitty.
sat down on the hearth rug, with my
chin in my hands, and stared earnestly at the
big cracking back log. Pussy crept away
and nestled down in Il corner, as if she knew
by instinct that there was change of tenn
perature.
"Look here, Kitty" l said, suddenly
"Those russell apples we have lett"
"Well? 7"
1--WE can sell them. There are eight bar
rels at the least Eight barrels at $3.50 q
barrel-I will take them to Mapleson and
sell them"
"You will, Addy?"
"And why not? Squire Dyson would
charge at least twenty per cent. commission
and make favor of it at that. | can't at.
ford either the price or the patronage. Don't
say anthng about it to father. He would
only fret and raise objections. What must
be done must be, and | am the girl to do it. ,
But, Addy, how? All this seems so per.
fectly wild and visionary TO me-"
We'll it needn't; for, believe me, it'sNht
most practical thing in the world All VT
have to do is to sort the apples out in barrels
| -. Il La, Il h,,t
light to-night-and tomorrow morning wei
rise early, harness old Dobbn to the lumber
wagon"
But how are we to get the heavy barrels
up into the wagon p
"Goose !" cried |, laughing, cant put
the barrels up into the wagon while They're
empty, and fill them at my leisure? And II
have them sold at Mapeson before you've
got the pork and cabbage boiling for din
ner."
"But where will you go ?" asked Kitty.
30, know lots of places. went once tC
town with OBADIAH Fairweather when liz
sold lot of cheese. | have pretty goot
idea of the commission stores, can tel
you"
"After all, Addy," hesiia,ed my conserva
tive little sister, "it isnta woman's work
"Why isn'tit, l should like to know, &C
long as u woman can do il? AT all events, s
woman must pay her debts-so, if you'll
hurry up tea, IN be off to the barn"
And what shall we tell papa"
ooh, he'll think I've gone to singing
school with the Dyson girls, and 1 don't
answered |.
But Notwithstanding the brave face l pu
upon affairs, my heart qulvered II little thu
next day, as | drove off toward Mapeson
with the scarlet stain of sunrise dyeing al
the east and my own cheeks with the keel
morning air.
But it wasn't so bad after all. With par
donable egotism, supposed that every ont
would be staring ct me, but, on the con
trary, young woman selling apples nigh
be the commonest thing in the world, so lit
tie comment or surprise did ii apparently ex
cite.
Mr.. Holloway, of the firm of Holloway
Bros, produce and commission merchants
didn't want any apples, speedily learned.
Just bought ship load from Albany" III
said, as carelessly as if ship loads of apple
were as common purchase as ten cent
worth of tape. And | drove on, beginning Il
feel infinitesimaly small.
Mr. Lovejoy could give me dollar bar
rel. Apples wasn't worth no more at th
season of the year" And l whipped OLE
Dobbin up, determined to carry them nom,
again sooner than sell them at that price.
AT the next place l stopped pleasant
looking, middle-aged man came out and crit
ically examined my apples.
"Do they hold out like this all the way
down ?" he asked.
"I'll warrant them" said J. carelessly.
"How much ?" he asked.
1.-TWO dollars and a half barrel"
He reflected.
"It's good price," he said, as if he wer'
taking to his own vest buttons; "but theI
they look like good apples, and we've I
a toerably large Western order TO fill. II
see what my partner thinks"
He went back into the gloomy depths o
his store, and ], happening to glance up, saw